Federal Suit Filed to Overturn Georgia’s Gay Marriage Ban

A gay rights group in Georgia filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday seeking to overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

The suit, filed in Atlanta by Lambda Legal, seeks to vacate the voter-approved constitutional amendment passed in 2004 that bans same sex marriage in Georgia. The amendment, which bans same-sex marriage in Georgia and prohibits the state from recognizing such unions performed in other states, won overwhelming support on the ballot that year. The state Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality in 2006.

The Georgia lawsuit leaves only four states with bans on gay marriage that remain unchallenged, according to the Washington Post: Alaska, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. The suit is filed on behalf of seven individuals and seeks class action status, the Associated Press reports.